Skip to content
Best College Rankings

Public · Urban campus · verified rankings · federal data

Louisiana State University

Students comparing Louisiana State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
Baton Rouge, Louisiana30,594 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 36Public universityUrban campusResearch university

The short answer

Louisiana State University: U.S. News ranks it #169 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #157 on America's Top Colleges (2026); WSJ ranks it #188 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 30,594 undergraduates, admits 73.3% of applicants, and posts a 68.8% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $28,631; aid recipients pay $19,151 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $61,251.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
73.3%

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$19,151

56% below the $43,773 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$61,251

Above the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
68.8%

Above the dataset median of 56%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$20,500

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
1180–1340

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardSum of reported reading and math section percentiles for the most recent entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release. Section percentiles added together approximate, but do not exactly equal, the composite score range.

Where LSU ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026National Universities#169of 436National universities
Forbes2026America's Top Colleges#157of 500Top colleges (Forbes)
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) DollarsNot ranked by this source
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#188of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
Money2026Best Value Colleges3 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)ListedOverall (Niche)
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: LSU's position moves 7 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a moderate spread; the ranking you look at changes the answer somewhat. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About LSU

Louisiana State University is a public institution in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Federal data show 84.7% first-year retention and a 20:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $19,151 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $43,773 sticker cost against $19,151 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing Louisiana State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$11,954

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$28,631

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$15,142

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $43,773 a year, but the average family pays $19,151 — a 56% difference. 26.6% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run LSU's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    20:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    84.7%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    30,594

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    LSU: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $28,631 and on-campus room and board is $15,142, for a published total of $43,773 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $19,151.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 73.3%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

    Similar colleges

    Matched on institutional character, overlapping majors and comparable cross-source standing.

    Christopher Newport University

    Newport News, VAPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    Christopher Newport University: U.S. News ranks it #6 on Regional Universities (South) (2026); Forbes ranks it #302 on America's Top Colleges (2026); WSJ ranks it #268 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #583 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026). It enrolls 4,365 undergraduates, admits 86.0% of applicants, and posts a 71.6% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $31,178; aid recipients pay $23,015 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $60,509.

    Acceptance rate
    86.0%
    Average net price
    $23,015
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $60,509
    6-yr graduation rate
    71.6%
    US News · Regional univ. (South)#6 of 135Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#302 of 500WSJ · U.S. colleges (WSJ)#268 of 500+3 more on profile

    4,365 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 35 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    University of Texas at Dallas

    Richardson, TXPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of Texas at Dallas: U.S. News ranks it #110 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #141 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #582 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #319 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #219 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); QS ranks it #604 on World University Rankings (2026). It enrolls 21,751 undergraduates, admits 65.1% of applicants, and posts a 75.7% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $40,144; aid recipients pay $18,267 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $68,227.

    Acceptance rate
    65.1%
    Average net price
    $18,267
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $68,227
    6-yr graduation rate
    75.7%
    US News · National universities#110 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#141 of 500Washington Monthly · Tuition & tax value (WM)#582 of 1,504+5 more on profile

    21,751 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 34 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    University of South Carolina-Columbia

    Columbia, SCPublic

    Verified publisher rankings · federal data

    University of South Carolina-Columbia: U.S. News ranks it #127 on National Universities (2026); Forbes ranks it #197 on America's Top Colleges (2026); WSJ ranks it #305 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #117 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 3.5 stars; Princeton Review lists it on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026) — #18 Lots of Greek Life. It enrolls 29,820 undergraduates, admits 60.2% of applicants, and posts a 78.8% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $35,972; aid recipients pay $22,811 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $62,177.

    Acceptance rate
    60.2%
    Average net price
    $22,811
    Median earnings (10 yr)
    $62,177
    6-yr graduation rate
    78.8%
    US News · National universities#127 of 436Forbes · Top colleges (Forbes)#197 of 500WSJ · U.S. colleges (WSJ)#305 of 500+3 more on profile

    29,820 undergraduates · mean consensus percentile 34 (across ranked lists; lower is better)

    Compare LSU against these